In this chapter John confronts Fiend and learns a bit about why the Order waited until he was on his internal spirit quest to try again to get a hold of his Soul of Darkness. When John used his magic on Yami, he must have sensed something of John's potential power and decided that he didn't have any baddies under him who would be guaranteed a victory over him. But Fiend attacks the conscious John anyway, and John immediately begins deconstructing Fiend's greatest strategies and coming up with ways around them. Because he's a BAMF.
John Awakens
I opened my eyes to the view of the bright white ceiling of my hospital room. I looked around hastily, my eyes adjusting quickly to the light, and found myself to be alone. I sat up too quickly and had to fight a dizzy spell. I pulled the probes and sensors from my chest and head, noticing that I didn’t have a shirt. Oh well, I shrugged and got out of the bed. I saw my deck sitting on the bedside table, and picked it up as I prepared to leave.
I flared up my Soul and reached out to the faint shadows in the corner of the room, deepening and stretching them into a sort of dark doorway. I step through, emerging outside, directly in the path of a young man about my age who was advancing on the hospital. As I emerged, I allowed a portion of the Shadows cling to me, becoming a new black t-shirt. Behind the young man I saw the unconscious bodies of every member of my team, save Amanda, as well as four others who I didn’t recognize.
The first thing I did was check to see if my friends were dead, reaching out instinctively with my Soul to do so. They were alive, but their spirits and their Duelist’s Souls were gone, taken someplace so far away where I couldn’t sense them. Then it hit me that there were only four on the ground that I didn't recognize, and one still standing.
There were only five of them? These guys must have been incredibly strong. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. My team, the Duel Force, had been defeated by a group of only five.
“What did you do, Duelist of the Order?” I demanded.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” He answered, stopping a short distance away. “I and my Dark Duel Force beat your skill-deprived friends in an attempt to reach you before awoke. Seems that we failed, but something good did come of it I guess, seeing as how I was able to sample the flavors of your friends’ strategies before they died.”
I was taken aback. Not only had these five taken our name for themselves, this one had seen four of his allies defeated, and he still didn't seem worried. This young man was strong and confident. He could be serious trouble if he decided to challenge me, too.
“You know,” the wicked young man said, “my Master Yami told me to back off if I was too late, if you’d already awoken by the time I reached you, but my last two duels were quite disappointing. I really want to face someone worthy of my power.”
“So you can make decisions against Yami’s will?” I was intrigued by this. He was obviously evil, like Karen, Monty, and Lawrence had appeared to be when they were under Yami’s control, but if he could make decisions above and beyond Yami’s will it could mean only one thing.
“You mean you became a literal player killer of your own accord?” I asked. “This is who you really are?”
“Yes,” the young man answered. “My team is the same way. We all joined Yami’s movement to help quell our bloodthirsty natures.”
“You’re sick,” I said, both horrified and enraged, “and I think it’s about time you were stopped!”
“Like you could defeat me!” the young man exclaimed disbelievingly. He pointed straight at me and said, “I’m Archfiend Ruler, and I’m going to destroy you, take your Soul, and your very spirit! Then I’m going to go back to Yami’s home, where he’s keeping the spirits and the magic of our respective allies, I’m going to use your Soul to draw the powers of your friends to me, and I’m going to use those powers to kill Yami himself!”
I was taken aback. This guy was crazy! Now I was sure he had to be defeated. I had no Duel Disk, just my deck. Okay, I thought, I’ll just use the Shadows to find me a Duel Disk, and then I’ll get to work hopefully not dying.
I reached into the Shadows with my mind, and Shadows poured onto my arm. Under the Shadows I felt a sudden weight. The Shadows parted and melted away, and I found that I was wearing a Duel Disk, though it was unlike any I’d ever seen. It was black, and the duel field was long and curved, coming to a point, with a sharp edge, like a sword blade. Sweet, I thought, inserting my deck into the deck port of this new Dark Duel Disk, and the duel began (Life Points: 8000 (each)).
“Let’s kick things off,” I declared, “with one of my most powerful four star monsters, the ‘Gemini Elf’.” Two female elves appeared in different colored dresses, standing back to back (ATK: 1900). “Next,” I announced, “since I can’t attack yet, I place one card face down and end my turn. Archfiend Ruler, show me your power so I can hurry up and overcome it.”
“I draw,” said Fiend, ignoring my taunting, “and in my Standby Phase I activate the Spell card ‘Curse of Fiend’, changing your ‘Gemini Elf’ to defense mode (DEF: 900). Next I play the Spell card ‘Trap Booster’, discarding one card to activate a Trap from my hand, a Trap like ‘Ultimate Offering’. I summon into play my ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’ (ATK: 1200), and then I pay five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon ‘Archfiend Soldier’.”
A new archfiend appeared alongside the ‘Vilepawn’. It was purple in color with powerful-looking claws, and wearing a cape (ATK: 1900).
“My ‘Vilepawn’ attacks your ‘Gemini Elf’, and ‘Archfiend Soldier’ attacks directly,” Fiend declared as his monsters raised sword and claw.
“Oh no they don’t,” I countered, “because I have a Trap!” Suddenly, mid charge, three chanting priests appeared in the path of Fiend's monsters, which seemed to hit an invisible wall, the air rippling ahead of them. “My trap card ‘Waboku’ has the power to cancel damage from every attack during the Battle Phase in which it is activated.”
“Then I’ll lay a face-down card of my own,” Fiend concluded, “and end my turn.”
“Good,” I said. I drew, “I change ‘Gemini Elf’ back into to attack mode and I summon my ‘Giant Orc’ to join the ‘Elf’ on the fiend.” The giant goblin appeared (ATK: 2200). “My ‘Gemini Elf’ attacks the ‘Vilepawn’ with Dual Spellcasting, and my ‘Giant Orc’ attacks the ‘Soldier’ with Club Slam!” The two elves aimed their palms at ‘Vilepawn’, and he was hit by a powerful light and was blown apart (7500+1200-1900 =6800). ‘Giant Orc’ charged straight at the ‘Soldier’, his club raised.
“Reveal,” Fiend declared, defiantly, “the Trap card ‘Archfiend’s Roar’, paying five hundred Life Points to revive my ‘Vilepawn’, activating his effect to jump in front of your attack.” The ‘Vilepawn’ returned, holding its shield up high, and jumped in front of the ‘Orc’’s attack. ‘Vilepawn’ was destroyed, and ‘Giant Orc’ fell over onto his back, into defense mode (DEF: 0).
“I end with two face-down cards,” I said, projecting confidence that I was having trouble feeling. This guy was very good.
Fiend seemed just as confident, and I could believe that he wasn't feigning his, “Draw! Time to start thinning out the pawns. I summon my ‘Darkbishop Archfiend’ in attack mode.” Another Archfiend monster appeared, this one carrying a staff (ATK: 300).
“My ‘Darkbishop’,” Fiend declared, “attacks your ‘Giant Orc’.” ‘Darkbishop’ raised his staff and fired a bolt of magical energy, blasting the ‘Orc’ to dust. “Next my ‘Archfiend Soldier’ sacrifices himself to destroy the ‘Gemini Elf’.” The ‘Soldier’ rushed my ‘Elf’, but I wasn’t just going to stand by and let the attack through.
“Reveal,” I countered, “the Trap card ‘Karma Cut’. I discard a card from my hand to remove your ‘Archfiend Soldier’ from play.”
“Guess you don’t know,” said Fiend, laughing, “about my monster’s ability, Fiend Roulette.”
“I know about the Fiend Roulette,” I said dismissively, “and a bluff is only effective if it’s believable. The ‘Archfiend Soldier’ is a Normal Monster. It has no Fiend Roulette.”
“Not true,” Fiend explained, a broad smile spread across his face. “While I control the ‘Darkbishop Archfiend’ I can activate his Fiend Roulette for every other Archfiend that I control.” A blade made of rippling light lanced from my Trap card, hitting the ‘Soldier’. Everything stopped, and six numbered orbs appeared, fire dancing from one orb to the next. So this is the Fiend Roulette, I thought. I’ve read about it, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen it. I can only hope it’s not as powerful as people say. The flames stopped suddenly on the number six. The ‘Soldier’ threw its arms open wide, knocking the light blade away, and he continued his charge.
“Alright then,” I said, activating my second face-down card, “let’s see how well your Roulette fairs twice in one turn. Activate ‘Enemy Controller’. This spell card’s effect changes and becomes more costly depending on which combination of commands I enter. I think the first effect should be sufficient.”
A giant game controller appeared ahead of me. I reached up and pressed the controls in sequence: Up + Down + Up + Right + C. The cord from the controller reached toward the Archfiend, connecting to his chest. Everything stopped again, and the Roulette reappeared, landing on a two. I saw disappointment flash on my enemies face for just a moment.
“Your Roulette failed,” I said, “which means my controller succeeds, overriding your command to attack and telling your monster to defend instead.” The ‘Archfiend Soldier’ halted his attack and struck up a defensive pose (DEF: 1400). The cord disconnected, the controller disappeared, and I smiled.
“I’ve found the weakness of your Archfiends,” I explained. “As powerful as they are, they rely too heavily on the Fiend Roulette. All I had to do was figure out how to overcome your Roulette. Now I have.
“The real weakness of your Roulette is that when you come right down to it, it relies on chance. The more often that you use it, the less reliable it becomes.”
I pointed straight at Archfiend Ruler, smiling, brimming with real confidence for the first time since the duel began, “Archfiend Ruler, your time has come!”
Card of the Day:
Enemy Controller
Played by: John
Because literally everyone wants a controller that lets you input cheat codes for your life.
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